Kingdom of Cayor

  General Description   The Kingdom of Cayor was part of the Wolof kingdoms who spoke the Wolof language in northern Senegal. ^[1] The Kingdom of Cayor originate in the 11th or 12th centuries but became part of the confederacy with the Jolof Empire in 14th century. ^[2] The Cayor eventually broke the confederation with the Jolof Empire around 1549 CE and became an independent kingdom from which we get its start date. ^[3] The capital of the Kingdom was at Mdaud. ^[4]
Like its Wolof neighbours of Waalo, the kingdom of Cayor was largely involved in the slave and horse trades for the Atlantic and Saharan markets. ^[5] The Kingdom of Cayor was monarchical and was ruled by the Damel or king. ^[6] For its duration, the Kingdom of Cayor worked together with the French for trade purposes, but in 1864 Senegal became a French colony. The last Damel of Cayor, Lat Dior, led a rebellion against the French and was defeated and exiled, officially ending the Kingdom’s rule. ^[3]

[1]: (McLaughlin 2008, 93) McLaughlin, Fiona. 2008. ‘Senegal: The Emergence of a National Lingua Franca’. In Languages and National Identity in Africa. Edited by Andrew Simpson. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/7VBFQ96V/collection

[2]: (Barry 1999, 263) Barry, Boubacar. 1999. ‘Senegambia from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century: Evolution of the Wolof, Sereer and ‘Tukuloor.’ In General History of Africa. V: Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century. Edited by B.A. Ogot. Berkely: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/24W2293H/collection

[3]: (Europa Publications 2003, 358) Europa Publications. 2003. A Political Chronology of Africa. London: Taylor and Francis. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/528D563M/collection

[4]: (Reclus 1892, 159) Reclus, Elisee et al. 1892. The Earth and Its Inhabitants: West Africa. New York: D. Appleton and Company. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/2494BGCZ/collection

[5]: (Webb Jr 1993, 246) Webb Jr, James L.A. 1993. ‘The Horse and Slave Trade between the Western Sahara and Senegambia.’ Journal of African History. Vol. 34:2. Pp 221-246. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/JDZFX3SC/collection

[6]: (The Philanthropist no. II 1811, 204) 1811. ‘Manners and Customs of the People of Cayor, Sin and Sallum’ In The Philanthropist no. II. London: Longman and Company. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/C5553ITD/collection